The ancient theatre of Taormina, with Etna beyond
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Music Venues

The great opera houses, concert halls and open-air stages, from La Scala and the Liceu to the Arena di Verona.

Last checked October 2026.

The ancient theatre of Taormina, with Etna beyondPhotograph: Pexels

Portugal

  • Casa da MúsicaPorto

    Rem Koolhaas's concert hall, conceived to mark Porto's year as European Capital of Culture and opened in 2005, a landmark of modern architecture with a 1,300-seat main auditorium.

Spain

France

Monaco

Italy

  • Teatro alla ScalaMilan

    Opened in 1778; Verdi's Otello and Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Turandot premiered here. Visit website ↗

  • Teatro dell'Opera di RomaRome

    Opened in 1880 as the Teatro Costanzi, where Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Puccini's Tosca premiered; each summer since 1937 the company has also staged opera in the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla; while the baths are restored, the summer season moved to the Circus Maximus in 2026.

  • Teatro di San CarloNaples

    Opened in 1737, the oldest continuously active opera house in the world. Visit website ↗

  • La FeniceVenice

    Opened in 1792 and rebuilt after fires in 1836 and 1996; Verdi's La traviata and Rigoletto premiered here. Visit website ↗

  • Teatro MassimoPalermo

    Italy's largest opera house, opened in 1897, where the final scenes of The Godfather Part III were filmed. Visit website ↗

  • Arena di Verona

    A Roman amphitheatre from about AD 30, home to a summer opera festival since a 1913 Aida. Visit website ↗

  • Teatro RegioParma

    Opened in 1829; it has staged every Verdi opera and hosts the Festival Verdi each autumn. Visit website ↗

  • Villa RufoloRavello

    The gardens high above the Amalfi Coast that Wagner saw as Klingsor's garden in Parsifal in 1880, home of the Ravello Festival since 1953. Visit website ↗

  • Rossini Opera FestivalPesaro

    Rossini's hometown on the Adriatic has given his operas, many in new critical editions, each August since 1980, at the Teatro Rossini and the city's larger halls. Visit website ↗

  • Teatro AnticoTaormina

    A Greek theatre rebuilt by the Romans, with summer concerts, opera and ballet overlooking the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna.

Malta

Slovenia

  • Slovenian National Theatre Opera and BalletLjubljana

    The capital's neo-Renaissance opera house, built in 1890 to 1892 by the Czech architects Jan Vladimír Hráský and Anton Hruby and restored in 2011. Visit website ↗

  • KrižankeLjubljana

    The former Teutonic Knights' monastery that Jože Plečnik turned into an open-air theatre in the 1950s, his last major work, and the main stage of the summer Ljubljana Festival, first held in 1953. Visit website ↗

Croatia

  • Pula Arena

    One of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world and the only one with its entire outer wall intact. It hosts concerts, opera and ballet. Visit website ↗

  • Dubrovnik Summer FestivalDubrovnik

    Since 1950 it has staged classical music, theatre, opera and dance across the walled city each July and August, from Hamlet on Fort Lovrijenac to concerts in the atrium of the Rector's Palace. Visit website ↗

  • Peristyle of Diocletian's PalaceSplit

    The colonnaded court of the Roman emperor's palace, the open-air opera stage of the Split Summer Festival, founded in 1954 and held each July and August. Visit website ↗

Bosnia and Herzegovina

None that meets our standard yet.

Montenegro

None that meets our standard yet.

Albania

None that meets our standard yet.

Greece

Türkiye

  • Aspendosnear Antalya

    The best-preserved theatre of the ancient world (AD 155), home of the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival since 1994.

  • Atatürk Cultural CenterIstanbul

    The city's great arts centre on Taksim Square, rebuilt and reopened in 2021, with concert halls and a theatre. Visit website ↗

Cyprus

  • Pafos Aphrodite FestivalPaphos

    Open-air opera every late summer since 1999, staged in front of the medieval castle at the harbour.

Syria

None that meets our standard yet.

Lebanon

  • Baalbeck International FestivalBaalbek

    Founded in 1956 among the Roman temples of Baalbek, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the 2025 edition staged Bizet's Carmen at the Temple of Bacchus. Its stage has drawn Fairuz and the Rahbani brothers, Mstislav Rostropovich, the Paris Opera, the Béjart Ballet, Charles Aznavour and Sting. Visit website ↗

Israel

  • Charles Bronfman AuditoriumTel Aviv

    Home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1936 by Bronisław Huberman with a first concert under Arturo Toscanini; the hall opened in 1957 with Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Rubinstein, and was renovated in 2011 to 2013 with acoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota. Visit website ↗

  • The Israeli OperaTel Aviv

    The national opera company, founded in 1985, at home since 1994 in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, whose foyer was designed by Ron Arad. Visit website ↗

  • Caesarea AmphitheatreCaesarea

    The Roman theatre built in the time of Herod, now in Caesarea National Park, seating about 4,000 for concerts beside the Mediterranean. Visit website ↗

Egypt

  • Cairo Opera House

    Opened in 1988 on Gezira Island as a gift from Japan, successor to the Khedivial Opera House of 1869, which burned in 1971; it is home to most of Egypt's finest musical companies. Visit website ↗

Libya

None that meets our standard yet.

Tunisia

  • Roman Theatre of Carthage

    The 7,500-seat ancient theatre that has hosted the International Festival of Carthage each July and August since 1964, with names from Ray Charles to Charles Aznavour. Visit website ↗

  • Amphitheatre of El Jem

    The largest Roman amphitheatre in North Africa, built around AD 238 for some 35,000 spectators and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, where symphony orchestras play each summer at the El Jem International Symphonic Music Festival.

Algeria

None that meets our standard yet.

Morocco

  • Royal Theatre of Rabat

    Zaha Hadid's theatre in the Bouregreg valley, opened to the public in spring 2026, with an 1,800-seat auditorium and a 7,000-seat open-air amphitheatre. Visit website ↗

That makes 43 entries in all.

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